Abstract
In early modern drama, sea imagery often suggests ideas of the humoral body and early modern self as well as the inherent tension surrounding an existential choice or life in transition. Although the terms “images” and “imagery” seem dated, they accurately represent the role this type of descriptor plays in the dramatic works of the time. Early modern dramatists chose these images for their ability to go beyond a simple description of the external landscape of sea and tides (the literal) to also express the internal landscape of the character or situation in question (the figurative). In this way, the text evokes the tangible while simultaneously suggesting human emotion and surrounding affect. By connecting these moments to the sea, an entity known for its mystery and destructive power, early modern playwrights call upon and underscore the traditional association between it and fortune, and perhaps inadvertently, foreground the sea’s increasing importance to society. This also contributed to a fascination with the entity, an interest surely enhanced through its perceived bridging of the mythic and the modern. Pointing to the waves and tides as a representation of imperative choice, or situating it as a locus of absolute change, sea imagery in early modern drama encompasses the passions of the humoral body alongside the “make or break” risks found in mercantile, military, and exploratory ventures; trials and uncertainties from nearly every aspect of society, each associated with varying degrees of existential affect.